Breaking Free
by Sulktora Storm Dragoness
Summary: Optimus gets captured by dragon slayers who use anything they can from a dragon, even forcibly breeding them for eggs. They chain him to the floor of a cave, and he quickly finds out that his breed's worst enemy is in there with him.


Warning(s): awkward situations, offensive language, violence, mentions of sex, sexual situations, dubious consent, tension/stress, body manipulation

Rating: PG-13/slight R

Characters: Megatron, Optimus

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or the idea of Dragonformers.

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A gift writing for: Jazz The Tiger, whose picture Prisoner inspired me to write this. art/PRISONER-363659881

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 **Big thanks to LadyAnatar, for being my Beta.**

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oOoOo

Optimus tugged at the chain harshly and thrashed when he pulled it taut.

He wanted free! Now!

The smell of what was inside the cave he had been secured in made him panic; he was even more hysterical than when he was captured by the trappers, more than when faced with the dragon slayers that he had apparently been _sold_ to!

The cave smelled of death, and worse yet, of another dragon – a kind that his breed did well to avoid. Thus, he was trying his hardest to break the chain that was attached to a thick metal collar covered in runes around his neck.

"Do cease your thrashing; all you are doing is making noise," a voice rumbled, making him freeze in place. The voice did not sound uncomfortably close, but Optimus knew that the already terrifying stranger would make an appearance soon. "Making noise has woken me up, which makes your situation even worse since I evidently have to ' _help_ ' you quiet down.

"And I assure you, I have no qualms with killing you to get the rest I deserve." The growl was followed around corner by the heavy treads of its originator. Optimus turned around and lowered himself to the ground in a crouch, baring his fangs as he faced a large, gunmetal grey, black, and red Decepticon dragon.

"Oh, wonderful. They've chained up a flightless Autobot dragon. For a moment, I thought you were a maiden, or perhaps one of the large prey animals that those slayers hunt and chain up in this cave they've bound me too," he drawled in a half-amused tone, padding closer. "I'm left to wonder why they would chain you up in here with me – though I'm sure they know next to nothing about how much our breeds dislike each other."

As the other drew closer, Optimus curved his body into a slight U. He hissed at the other dragon, who retaliated with a rumbling, displeased growl. For a while, they exchanged snarls, growls, hisses, and a few roars every now and then before both went quiet and settled for staring the other down.

After a bit, Optimus' gaze wavered, and he finally looked away. His fins pressed to his head and back when he heard a scoff. Shooting the Decepticon a sharp, sideways glare, he let out a half-roar when the larger dragon stepped closer, which led to another altercation of snarls, growls, and hisses before the other stepped back again.

"Feisty for one so small," he noted in an eerie tone that made Optimus flare his fins in challenge whilst fighting off an ominous shiver. "I think I now know why they chained you up in here with me." He snorted in dark amusement. "It's so simple; those slayers are smart enough to recognize that we are of the same species, clearly, but not enough to tell we're of different breeds." Optimus was becoming confused as to why this seemingly random train of thought mattered. Of course, the other's next statement made it horribly clear.

"They want me to mount you and make you egg-heavy before they cut you into pieces for whatever purposes they desire."

Optimus' eyes widened to the size of moons, and he quickly tucked his tail securely under his belly. He was not going to be mounted by this strange dragon and then butchered after laying a clutch; he would rather die first! Eyeing the other warily, the Autobot watched him appear to think before a dark, calculating grin graced his maw.

"I have a proposal for you, little Autobot." Optimus did not reply; he already disliked where this was going. "Very well, I shall take your _silence_ as permission to continue," the stranger decided wryly, raising a brow ridge at the lack of response before seriously continuing. "I have just figured out a way to get out of this cave… for _both_ of us. I just need your word and a promise for it to be made possible."

When he heard that, Optimus glared daggers at the other dragon. He was well aware that the stranger was asking him to give a Dragon Oath - something that was not lightly given for some very good reasons. A Dragon Oath was a binding contract, and if one broke it, the results were never pretty. Optimus shook his head 'no' with a small snarl; he refused to bind himself to any nameless wretch, let alone to a Decepticon.

"Come now. I would, of course, state my terms before you made the oath," the large dragon coaxed. Again, Optimus shook his head 'no,' growling lowly.

"Now you're just being difficult. You must want to be free as much as I do! You do not truly think I want to be here, do you? I may lack a chain and collar, but I am not free to leave this cave. It has spells cast on it that bind dragons within it - spells cast from the leftover magic of fallen dragons who those slayers have killed!" the Decepticon snarled in agitation. He crowded Optimus, who pressed himself against the cave wall and hissed a warning.

They glared at each other for a while before the grey dragon snorted smoke in frustration and stomped off to the back of the cave. Once the other was away from him, Optimus relaxed, but he felt more trapped than ever and very tired.

He refused to sleep all that night, but finally slipped into slumber just before dawn.

oOoOo

Optimus jolted out of sleep when he was roughly shoved and heard bellowing. "WAKE UP!" Rapidly reaching fully wakefulness, the red and blue dragon remembered who else was in the cave with him and let out an angry warning hiss followed by a low growl. "Stop that, Autobot. The slayers have come."

Optimus glanced towards the entrance and saw the slayers standing there, shifting this way and that in their group. His fins pinned flat to his body; he did not like this situation.

"I think they assume that I have done what is needed and are planning on taking you back, likely to be butchered if you don't have any eggs in your belly," the more experienced dragon informed him swiftly, and there was absolutely no joking or taunting in his tone.

Quickly getting to his feet, the Autobot backed as far as could from the entrance, pulling the chain taut once more. He did not want to die, not like this! The Decepticon merely looked at him out of the corner of his eye, then focused on the slayers. They appeared to be readying a net, and it looked like there was at least one magic user in the group.

Optimus trembled when they lined up into an obviously practiced formation, only to shriek when he suddenly felt a weight on his back. It was the Decepticon, and he appeared to be… _mounting_ him! The smaller dragon tried to fight, but the feeling of fangs around the upper base of his neck made him freeze.

"Do not fight me. I need you to play along so they will leave… or do you really wish to die?" the large dragon asked around his grip on Optimus' neck. The Autobot dragon shivered, not liking this scenario one bit, but when he shot another look at the slayers, he found them not moving, only watching.

"Stop focusing on them and focus on acting, you damned mute," the unnamed dragon snarled, shifting his weight on top of him. "Spread your legs and lift your tail to the side. I can't fool them if you won't work with me!" he growled.

Optimus hissed. He did not want this, and he was not going to let the other mount him, even if it could save his life; he would not degrade himself just because the other suddenly wanted to try " _saving_ " him!

A sigh followed by harsh whispers filled Optimus' ears as he continued to quietly refuse. "They cannot see me clearly, so I will not enter you if that helps to ease your mind. If you do as I say, they will not be able to see if I properly mounted you or not. Now, pretend or face getting butchered!" he growled irritably and clamped his jaws hard on the slender neck.

At the increased pressure, Optimus whimpered. Unless he wanted certain death with the slayers, he knew he had no choice but to trust in the other. He did as commanded, only to squirm as he felt the brush of the other's member against the outer part of his leg before it slipped around and began rubbing along his entrance.

Although the stranger kept his word and did not escalate things further, Optimus still shivered and whimpered. He tried to lower his head in shame, but the grip on his neck partially prevented him from doing so. Shortly thereafter, he felt the rubbing increase before the other actually bit down, drawing blood, and came with a muffled roar, spilling all over Optimus' inner legs. His poor slit entrance felt swollen from all the rubbing, and when the other climbed off him, he let out a shaky breath and nearly fell to the cave floor.

"They are leaving. It seems I convinced them that I was not finished with you," the grey dragon sneered before sitting down and beginning to groom himself. "You are welcome, by the way. Not that you are grateful for my sacrifice, _mute_!"

Optimus glared at him and felt something snap. "I am not mute."

"So, you can talk, mute," he rumbled, continuing to groom his inner legs and sheath.

"I have a name, and it is not ' _mute_ '!" Optimus fumed. He was finally fed up with the other; this fake display of mating in front of the slayers was simply one step too far.

"Then tell me it!" The large dragon roared angrily and stood up to get into Optimus' face. "I grow tired of your silence and ungrateful mannerisms thus far, _Autobot_. I deserve your gratitude - I just saved your life, and I even needlessly wasted my seed on fragging your legs just to keep you alive for one more day!"

Optimus was about to retort, but the other cut him off before he could begin. "Don't you dare say that you would have preferred to have been butchered. I saw the fear in your eyes when they lined up, and the way you backed away said everything clearly enough. Do _not_ deny it," he said sternly.

Optimus looked away, then let out a shaky breath before granting the other his name. "Optimus, my name is Optimus."

"Well, Optimus, you now owe me for saving your life," the other stated tartly, causing Optimus' head to snap forward and him to stare at the other utterly flabbergasted.

"So you did that just to make me owe you something?!" Optimus roared in fury.

"Not entirely," the Decepticon answered easily. "However, I need you to get free of this cave, and you need _me_ to get free yourself. I want your oath in order to reach that goal."

"NO," Optimus snapped.

"I have not even told you what my terms are. They are not as bad as I believe you are assuming," the other reasoned.

"You're right; it's likely much _worse_!" Optimus snarled, which earned himself a disgusted sneer.

"Really now," the large grey glared. "You assume my intentions, and then refuse to allow me to confirm them or not?" Optimus kept silent at the accusation. "My, my, how very insulting."

"Saving my life does not mean that you don't have dark intentions towards me," Optimus explained stiffly. "After all, your breed is not known for keeping its word."

"I see. And you know my breed of dragon so intimately, do you not?" the other asked sarcastically.

Optimus set his jaw and stood firmly in place, physically displaying that he indeed felt that he was right.

"Fine then, I will tell you my terms anyway. I was only going to ask for you to become my mate and receive the gift that comes along with it."

Optimus' eyes widened. "NO!" he yelled, "NO! I _won't_ make such an oath; you'd be making me betray my clan! I won't do that! And I don't want a gift that comes with being your mate either," he refused firmly.

"Even if my gift was to give you wings to fly with?" the older dragon asked in a strange tone, but Optimus ignored the oddity.

"No one can gift a flightless dragon with wings, even an already-winged dragon. You have nothing to offer that will change my mind. My answer is still no."

Chuckling, the Decepticon shook his head at the smaller dragon. "You know so little. Then again, not many ground-bound dragons know about our most carefully guarded secrets. However, if that does not convince you, then I am sure this will," he teased cryptically.

"The spell on this cave is simple in and of itself, and just like that chain and collar, it is only meant to contain a single dragon and his power. Two dragons and their combined powers would shatter the spells on both your bindings and the whole cave, and thus would free us.

"All I need is your Dragon Oath to become my mate. That would allow you and me to intermingle our powers just enough that I could force our way through our magical shackles to freedom," he finished explaining.

Optimus carefully thought through this information, and came to the grudging conclusion that the intimidating stranger was right. " _If_ I agree," he began slowly, and shivered at the dark, pleased look shot his way, "then what will happen afterwards?"

"Well, despite the slayers forcing us together and you being an Autobot dragon, I find you to be a fine choice for a mate, regardless of our less-than-ideal beginning," the Decepticon reassured him simply, then added with a smirk, "Though I would prefer you more if you had wings."

Optimus frowned at him, but he had already decided what he wanted to do. "Give me your name," he demanded.

The other looked a bit reluctant, then answered "Megatron."

Optimus' eyes widened. He knew who Megatron was. Everyone in his entire clan knew who Megatron was: he was the leader of all of the Decepticons, the most feared of all the Decepticon dragons. Of course, as of late, Megatron's clan had been suspiciously quiet, hardly attacking or raiding anyone, and now the answer was finally clear to the young Autobot. Somehow, their leader had been captured by dragon slayers.

"How did you get captured?" Optimus asked tentatively, understandably not wanting to anger his potential mate.

Despite his care, Megatron glared at him. "I had believed that I had gotten lucky in cornering a wounded animal inside a cave. The next thing I knew was a spell being thrown up, which trapped me inside and prevented me from spitting fire at anyone near the cave entrance. I would suggest you not ask further about it," he finished firmly, clearly embarrassed about his capture.

"Alright, I won't… for now," Optimus reassured him, and Megatron glared at him for his cheek.

 _Honestly, that would have been a funny story if not for the fact that we're both still trapped. If this works, maybe we can laugh about it later._ Optimus thought. It really was a bit of a pity; normally, he would have grinned or even snickered, and right now he did not feel like laughing at all. _Right now though, we need to try and get free with our hides intact._

Megatron's voice broke through his whimsical tangent. "The oath, now?" he asked with a growl.

Optimus sighed and carefully composed his oath. Once he mote it be, he felt the magical binds of the oath close around him, and he shivered when the process finished.

"Good, now we can be freed. That is, after you wake up," Megatron informed his new mate. Optimus tilted his head in confusion, but the Decepticon continued, "Oh, and while you may feel free to scream, do _not_ fight it. Fighting simply makes the process more difficult, and you will pass out for longer and waste time that we do not have."

As soon as the glitch had finished speaking, pain coursed through Optimus' body. He did scream; his entire body spasmed, and it felt like his back was being torn apart. At some point during his agony, a reminder of "don't fight it; let it happen," was rumbled directly into his ear.

Shortly thereafter, he whimpered, his eyes rolled back into his head, and the world went black.

oOoOo

Optimus groaned as he woke up. Not only did his throat feel like he had swallowed hot, burning sand, but he was sore and tired all over. His back in particular felt raw, and the smell of blood was in the air. It was his blood, and that little fact brought him no comfort whatsoever.

"Good, you're awake, and none too soon. Dawn will be upon us shortly, and we need to take advantage of our time without the slayers here."

Optimus groaned at the flood of words and gave a few hacking coughs. "Stay still, and be careful when you move your new wings. Since they are newly gifted, they are hypersensitive. And as your bindings currently will not allow you to visit the back of the cave, I will return momentarily with some water." Advice given, Megatron stood up to retrieve the drink.

Dazed and groggy, Optimus peered over his shoulder and froze at the sight. Right there on his back shoulders were wings! Wings! Admittedly, they were covered in dried blood so he could not determine what color they were, but they were wings and they were _his_ wings!

He stared in disoriented delight, and then, of course, a little thought had to break into his awe-filled moment. _I don't know how to fly! How in the world am I going to use them when I have absolutely no idea how?! WAIT! How is it possible for me to have wings, anyway?!_ Optimus thought frantically. As he finished waking up, his brain began working properly again, and he remembered what Megatron had mentioned earlier about gifting him with wings.

 _He was telling the truth, dang it. I'm never going to be able to live this down._ Optimus scowled for a heartbeat, then focused on slowly testing his movement with his new wings. Still awed by the fact that _he had wings,_ he did not even mind how sensitive they were to movement and the air flow from the cave entrance that tickled over his new appendages.

"They will look better after we clean them up when we are free," Megatron commented, making Optimus' head snap in his direction. "Here, drink." The smaller dragon accepted the small bowl carved from stone and drank, thankful that the bowl was just large enough to hold enough water to soothe his poor sore throat. After drinking his fill, he noted that the stone bowl had claw gouges all over it, implying that Megatron had carved out the bowl himself.

"Are you still thirsty?" Megatron asked, and Optimus shook his head no, still admiring the bowl despite what it lacked in beauty and craftsmanship. "Good. Now, let's get out of here, shall we? And just leave that; it's useless."

Nodding, Optimus slowly rose to his feet, but refused to let go of the bowl. "I'm keeping it."

The older dragon peered at him strangely. "It will weigh you down in flight; it is best to leave it behind."

"I'm keeping it," Optimus repeated, then suggested, "Consider it your first gift to me as your mate."

Eyes widening for a brief moment, Megatron acceded, "Fine, but I will carry it. You need to be as light as possible for your first flight."

"About that… I've been on the ground my whole life. How will I know how to fly?!" Optimus exclaimed with a touch of panic.

"Instinct. Luckily, when wings are gifted, instincts to fly come along as well. If that were not so, we both would have been better off with you not having wings," the experienced Decepticon answered briefly. At his new mate's hesitant nod of acceptance, he continued, "Enough talk. Right now, I need you to focus your power into mine so that I can channel it properly. Understood?"

Nodding once more, Optimus followed the instructions, and soon enough, Megatron was tearing the collar off his neck with strong jaws and driving him into a fast run towards the cave entrance and right over the ledge just outside of it.

As Optimus headed into a nose dive, Megatron bellowed, "Spread your wings!" Snapping his open, Optimus yelped first in surprise as the wind caught him and pushed him high into the skies, then in fear when he saw the ground so far below him.

"Focus! Look ahead, not down!" Megatron ordered. Optimus did as he instructed, and eventually, he began to relax a little as the sun began rising on the horizon. "Heh, it seems you are a natural, even if you were born to stay on the ground," the grey chuckled not far from Optimus' left side.

"I… thank you," Optimus stammered.

Megatron simply smirked, and upon noticing that he was still carrying the crudely-made bowl, the younger dragon felt warm and funny for some reason. Some of those feelings, or perhaps the dazed confusion from waking up that had not completely left him, must have shown on his face, because that smirk widened. "Do not think that we are finished, little Autobot. Now, follow me. I wish to find a place to clean up, so I can see what color those wings are."

Of course, Optimus had a sneaking suspicion that Megatron wanted more than to just see his wings, but for now, he would follow his mate.

END.

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 **Big thanks to LadyAnatar, for being my Beta.**


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